Hiker Trailer 5x9 Offroad Build

[Dana Ramos]

I got a lot of questions and photo/video requests after chiming in on another thread so I figured I'd start my own thread on our Hiker Trailer build.

Up until last year we had a 4x8 Deluxe (non-Off-Road) model. We were able to take that little trailer quite a few places. For the most part, it did surprisingly well on forest roads and some light off-roading. We had originally planned on installing our own cabinetry, electrical system, and water tank/outdoor shower. But, there were just a few things we weren't totally stoked on. Those being: no shocks (leaf springs only), no multi-axis coupler (we could've retro-fitted), and the size. It was big enough but w/the two of us and the two dogs, we weren't left with a whole lot of room.

So, we had a change of plans. Instead of putting a whole lot of money and time into building out the 4x9, we decided to sell it, and have Rob build us another trailer. I have to say, Rob and his crew in Denver nailed it on the build. We had a lot of very specific request and they did a great job accommodating those for us. Everything was exactly what we asked for and looked great too.

This time around, we went with the 5x9 Off-Road model with the following options and customizations:

-Lock N Roll hitch
-Eelectric bakes
-Roof rack
-Spare tire carrier w/additional 2" receiver hitch for bike rack and driver's side hinge so bikes and tire are in between the two awnings and not taking up space under the Foxwing
-Propane tank mount
-2 gallon RotaPax water cans (x2)
-Under frame 20 gallon water tank
-Screen doors w/windows
-Wheels/tires to match the Jeep
-Full electrical and solar package
-Custom interior & exterior lights
-Fantastic Fan w/light ring
-In-floor storage
-Folding shelf in front
-Deeper+taller front cabinet
-Split top shelf in rear galley (normally this shelf is open from sleeper to rear galley door)
-Cabinet doors w/latches

We already had the Rhino Rack Foxwing, Sunseeker 2.5, and Sunseeker Base Tent from our previous trailer.

We still need to do the following:
-Curtains (getting those sewn up now)
-Plumb the built in water tank and add pump
-Add Pelican case w/on-demand water heater-outdoor shower setup
-Build out drawers and slider for stove in the bottom section of the galley
-Rhino Rack roof basket from my Jeep is getting moved to the trailer. I'll be adding a Pioneer Platform to the Jeep to hold spare, gas, tools, etc.
-You tell me????

Feel free to ask any questions, I'll try my best to answer.

Here's a walk around in the driveway. I'll get some photos of it in the wild soon:

I just realized that I didn't take any photos of the under-frame water tank or the electrical setup in the front toolbox. I'll add those later.

 

[Steve]

This is a trailer I've looked at a couple times instead of the utility/kayak trailer route due to Hiker's pricing. Tennessee Trailer is releasing a new lighter duty version of their off-road trailer in a week or so, so the timing of this is great.

Question: What is the height from the ground to the top of the roof rack crossbars? I'd be putting Thule Hull-A-Port Pro kayak racks on whatever I end up with, and at 5' 8", height is important. Also, a rough guess as to how much higher this is compared to the Deluxe version? My Outback was about as high as I'd want my racks, and the 4Runner is just too high for me. Two Thule Hull-A-Vator kayak lift racks are about had the price of a 4X8 Basic Hiker!

Thanks, and I look forward to your adventures.

 

[Dana Ramos]

This is a trailer I've looked at a couple times instead of the utility/kayak trailer route due to Hiker's pricing. Tennessee Trailer is releasing a new lighter duty version of their off-road trailer in a week or so, so the timing of this is great.

Question: What is the height from the ground to the top of the roof rack crossbars? I'd be putting Thule Hull-A-Port Pro kayak racks on whatever I end up with, and at 5' 8", height is important. Also, a rough guess as to how much higher this is compared to the Deluxe version? My Outback was about as high as I'd want my racks, and the 4Runner is just too high for me. Two Thule Hull-A-Vator kayak lift racks are about had the price of a 4X8 Basic Hiker!

Thanks, and I look forward to your adventures.

@Steve I think it's around 6'6" or so but I'll measure for you when I get home. I know the medium duty trailers are a bit lower, probably 6"-8" or so. Also, depends on tire size too.

 

[Dana Ramos]

@Steve It's about 80" to the bars on mine with 31.5" tires

 

[jzuniga]

Nice


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Steve]

@Steve It's about 80" to the bars on mine with 31.5" tires

Thank you. And you're guess on the non-offroad version was 6-8" less than that, correct? I appreciate the information!

 

[Dana Ramos]

Thank you. And you're guess on the non-offroad version was 6-8" less than that, correct? I appreciate the information!

Yes, I believe so.

 

[Gravel Travel Canada]

Very nice, I've been seriously contemplating a trailer and for the money and accessories this seems like the one for me.

A couple of questions, what type of shocks do they use? Did the mattress come with it? Did you contemplate the ac/heat solution they offer?

Thanks in advance, congrats on your trailer!

 

[Dana Ramos]

Very nice, I've been seriously contemplating a trailer and for the money and accessories this seems like the one for me.

A couple of questions, what type of shocks do they use? Did the mattress come with it? Did you contemplate the ac/heat solution they offer?

Thanks in advance, congrats on your trailer!

Right on! Yeah it's a pretty solid trailer and great price compared to the alternatives.

To answer your Q's: They used Pro Comp shocks which seem fine so far. They're pretty cheap and easy to replace if there are any issues. I thought about using OME shocks and may do that if and when these wear out.

The mattress was not included. I used queen sized folding foam mattress from Amazon which I cut 3" off the long side to fit better. It's not the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in but 100x's better than sleeping on the ground. We definitely like having the option of using it as a couch if the weather is crap and we need to hole up inside for a while. We considered going w/a custom mattress but the prices on those were considerably more.

We didn't even consider the heat/ac. We live in NW WY at 6500' and it rarely hits the 80's here in the summer especially if you get up into the mountains. Most of our travelling outside of the area is in the spring or fall and we stay west for the most part so high temps are usually still descent. We probably won't use it much if ever in the middle of the winter but it does get pretty cold here at night even in the summer. But w/2 people and a dog, a good sleeping bag, and a couple blankets, we've been fine. I even spent a week solo w/just the dog and low temps in the teens and 20's which was a little cold but I didn't freeze to death or anything. If we are going to have shore power, we'll bring an electric blanket or small electric heater though. It 's such a small space it doesn't take long to heat. And if you're off grid, a Little Buddy would warm the thing up in about 3 minutes or less. You wouldn't want to sleep with it on but running it for a few minutes at a time as needed with the vent cracked and you'd be pretty comfortable.

 

[Gravel Travel Canada]

Thanks for the response. We get humid weather so the ac is a big attraction. Last question (I promise), what's the measurement from floor to ceiling inside? Hope you get years of use from it.

Sent from my STH100-1 using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Dana Ramos]

Thanks for the response. We get humid weather so the ac is a big attraction. Last question (I promise), what's the measurement from floor to ceiling inside? Hope you get years of use from it.

Sent from my STH100-1 using OB Talk mobile app

It's about 44" at the rear and tapers off at the front, starting over the doors, to about 40".

And thanks, we definitely plan to!

Although, the 2+ feet of snow we've gotten this week is making that difficult at the moment. But, we only have 2 weeks left until we take a 2 week long vacation!

 

[OuterLimits]

I've always liked the teardrop style trailers, but with all the curves they seem to lose a lot of capacity.

When I first saw the Hiker trailers I was a fan. The squared off lines provide far more usable space.

They look good too!!!

 

[Dana Ramos]

I've always liked the teardrop style trailers, but with all the curves they seem to lose a lot of capacity.

When I first saw the Hiker trailers I was a fan. The squared off lines provide far more usable space.

They look good too!!!

Agreed! You can fold the bed into a couch, sit up tall and still have plenty of head room, at either end of the sleeper cab.

 

[Lead Dog]

Right on! Yeah it's a pretty solid trailer and great price compared to the alternatives.

To answer your Q's: They used Pro Comp shocks which seem fine so far. They're pretty cheap and easy to replace if there are any issues. I thought about using OME shocks and may do that if and when these wear out.

The mattress was not included. I used queen sized folding foam mattress from Amazon which I cut 3" off the long side to fit better. It's not the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in but 100x's better than sleeping on the ground. We definitely like having the option of using it as a couch if the weather is crap and we need to hole up inside for a while. We considered going w/a custom mattress but the prices on those were considerably more.

We didn't even consider the heat/ac. We live in NW WY at 6500' and it rarely hits the 80's here in the summer especially if you get up into the mountains. Most of our travelling outside of the area is in the spring or fall and we stay west for the most part so high temps are usually still descent. We probably won't use it much if ever in the middle of the winter but it does get pretty cold here at night even in the summer. But w/2 people and a dog, a good sleeping bag, and a couple blankets, we've been fine. I even spent a week solo w/just the dog and low temps in the teens and 20's which was a little cold but I didn't freeze to death or anything. If we are going to have shore power, we'll bring an electric blanket or small electric heater though. It 's such a small space it doesn't take long to heat. And if you're off grid, a Little Buddy would warm the thing up in about 3 minutes or less. You wouldn't want to sleep with it on but running it for a few minutes at a time as needed with the vent cracked and you'd be pretty comfortable.

Dana The Folding Bed I order doesn't need to be cut? It's 58" out of the box! 4" Memory foam sleeps very well to me but i'm a 200lb Guy.

 

[Dana Ramos]

Dana The Folding Bed I order doesn't need to be cut? It's 58" out of the box! 4" Memory foam sleeps very well to me but i'm a 200lb Guy.

The mattress we found was a 4" as well but 60" wide, I think the brand was called Lucid and it's pretty comfortable. It fit fine when folded into a couch and pushed into the back, although it was pretty tight still. Unfolding it was a pita though. I think this was mostly b/c we got the screen doors and the frames for those protrude into the cabin about an inch and a half for each door.

 

[Gravel Travel Canada]

MPG difference with the trailer?

Sent from my STH100-1 using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Dana Ramos]

MPG difference with the trailer?

Sent from my STH100-1 using OB Talk mobile app

Maybe 2. Usually only get 16-18, drops to 15-16 when pulling at highway speed.

 

[Dana Ramos]

A couple shots of the trailer all set up on a recent weekend camping trip to the Greys River near Alpine, WY:

 

[Ramlander]

I dig it. I want to build one of these myself but I don't know if it would be any cheaper than just buying one from hiker

 

[überlander]

I got a lot of questions and photo/video requests after chiming in on another thread so I figured I'd start my own thread on our Hiker Trailer build.

Up until last year we had a 4x8 Deluxe (non-Off-Road) model. We were able to take that little trailer quite a few places. For the most part, it did surprisingly well on forest roads and some light off-roading. We had originally planned on installing our own cabinetry, electrical system, and water tank/outdoor shower. But, there were just a few things we weren't totally stoked on. Those being: no shocks (leaf springs only), no multi-axis coupler (we could've retro-fitted), and the size. It was big enough but w/the two of us and the two dogs, we weren't left with a whole lot of room.

So, we had a change of plans. Instead of putting a whole lot of money and time into building out the 4x9, we decided to sell it, and have Rob build us another trailer. I have to say, Rob and his crew in Denver nailed it on the build. We had a lot of very specific request and they did a great job accommodating those for us. Everything was exactly what we asked for and looked great too.

This time around, we went with the 5x9 Off-Road model with the following options and customizations:

-Lock N Roll hitch
-Eelectric bakes
-Roof rack
-Spare tire carrier w/additional 2" receiver hitch for bike rack and driver's side hinge so bikes and tire are in between the two awnings and not taking up space under the Foxwing
-Propane tank mount
-2 gallon RotaPax water cans (x2)
-Under frame 20 gallon water tank
-Screen doors w/windows
-Wheels/tires to match the Jeep
-Full electrical and solar package
-Custom interior & exterior lights
-Fantastic Fan w/light ring
-In-floor storage
-Folding shelf in front
-Deeper+taller front cabinet
-Split top shelf in rear galley (normally this shelf is open from sleeper to rear galley door)
-Cabinet doors w/latches

We already had the Rhino Rack Foxwing, Sunseeker 2.5, and Sunseeker Base Tent from our previous trailer.

We still need to do the following:
-Curtains (getting those sewn up now)
-Plumb the built in water tank and add pump
-Add Pelican case w/on-demand water heater-outdoor shower setup
-Build out drawers and slider for stove in the bottom section of the galley
-Rhino Rack roof basket from my Jeep is getting moved to the trailer. I'll be adding a Pioneer Platform to the Jeep to hold spare, gas, tools, etc.
-You tell me????

Feel free to ask any questions, I'll try my best to answer.

Starting this off w/some driveway pics but will be taking it out on a trip around western MT & eastern ID real soon. Will definitely get more photos and video of it then.

I just realized that I didn't take any photos of the under-frame water tank or the electrical setup in the front toolbox. I'll add those later.

I've never really wanted a trailer until I saw this one, I know it will severely depress me but around how much did this set up cost?